Higher Education and Careers

Art of Academic Conversation

Launched last year, the Art of Academic Conversation evening provided Sixth Formers with the opportunity to speak to professionals from a number of different fields – from engineers to cell biologists – and topics ranged from heterogeneity to polar exploration, bilingualism to biosecurity. The speakers included professors from leading universities, including Oxford and Imperial College London, as well as a number of successful Old Dolphins.

G&L Futures Working Lunches

The G&L Futures series of Working Lunches began with Old Dolphin Imogen Francis (Class of 2018), who is studying Civil Engineering at Warwick University and spending a year in industry as part of her degree. After February half-term we were joined by current parent and investment banker Gabe Lucano who has over 20 years of experience in advisory, general management, operational turnaround, investment banking and corporate finance. Old Dolphin Lexi Berg (Class of 2010) talked to students about her career in music. Palika Bhasin (Class of 2009) spoke about her fascinating career in diplomacy at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office (FCDO) and her experiences of working in Iraq and Beirut. Godolphin parent and management consultant Gizem Weggemans, who leads Egon Zehnder’s HR Officers Practice globally, joined us to speak about her educational and career journey which began as a Research Analyst with the Overseas Development Council before she later worked as a consultant with the World Bank in Washington DC. She had inspirational advice for students on the four pillars of leadership: curiosity, insight, engagement and determination.

Dr Finn Burns Talk for Aspiring Medics

Dr Burns, a Senior Registrar in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, spoke to aspiring medics about her training to become a consultant and her experiences as a junior foundation doctor and a medical student.

Life After University

We welcomed Old Dolphins Lottie Leigh and Alice ElDarwish (Class of 2016) to speak at this annual event. Lottie talked about her decision to study for a Masters after her gap year travel plans were disrupted by Covid, allowing her to secure an internship at the UN’s World Food Programme. Lottie moved into a permanent position with the organisation in May. Alice has been a freelance creative since leaving university, working with companies on copywriting and branding. She continues to freelance whilst also working full-time for a start-up company. Her advice on how to stand out from the crowd and demonstrate your value to clients resonated with our Sixth Form audience.

Careers Discovery Event 2022

Years 10 – Upper Sixth students heard from an array of guest speakers at the Careers Discovery Event. Old Dolphins and parents represented a range of careers including medicine and dentistry, charity, architecture, corporate and social responsibility, finance, technology, law, the civil service, film and TV, songwriting, music production and game development.

Renaissance Dining Event

Lower Sixth students were joined by students from partner schools Kensington Aldridge Academy and Greenford High for our inaugural Renaissance Dining event. This gave students an opportunity to discuss academic topics with fellow students and a host of guests from backgrounds which included finance, law and entrepreneurship.

Higher Education Preparation Programme (HEPP)

The Lower Sixth HEPP programme included a visit from the University of Sheffield, who gave a presentation on applying to the Russell Group universities, and who led a session on academic writing in preparation for an undergraduate degree. In addition, Trinity College Dublin joined us to explain the Irish application process. Those interested in Medicine and Veterinary Science were hard at work preparing for the UCAT and BMAT tests and benefitted from a session by several Old Dolphins on the realities of university life for Medics and Vets. US applicants engaged with sessions on the common application, personal essay and supplementary essay and there were sessions on making applications to Canada. Those interested in Law began their preparation for the LNAT and there were a broad variety of university preparation sessions delivered by a whole host of Godolphin staff. Pupils were able to gain insight into honing their public speaking confidence in sessions with Laughology which they will put to good use when developing their EE vivas and their EPQ presentations.

US Applications

We were delighted that many of our students received early acceptances from a range of top US institutions and along with the regular admissions students received offers from the following institutions (in alphabetical order):

Columbia University (2) Cornell University Dartmouth College Dual BA between Columbia University and Trinity College Dublin Georgetown University (3) Harvard University New York University Princeton University University of California, Berkeley (2) University of California, Los Angeles University of California, San Diego University of Chicago University of Pennsylvania (2) University of Southern California –Trustee Scholarship Yale University

US College Sport Applications

In the Autumn Term, Old Dolphin Aurelia Elliott (Class of 2021), shared her experience of the athletic recruitment process at highly selective US colleges with our prospective US applicants. A competitive rower who has a place at Harvard in 2022, Aurelia offered insights about how to research for sports programmes and when to contact coaches.

University of British Columbia, Canada

Lower Sixth students enjoyed an online meeting with the European Representative at The University of British Columbia, Mr Thomas Whittaker. Mr Whittaker highlighted the flexible academic curriculum and the holistic student experience offered at Canadian universities, as well as the wide range of opportunities available to students to enhance their academic success and employability through co-operative education. Canada is a popular destination amongst our overseas applicants.

Bocconi University, Italy

Lower Sixth students enjoyed an online meeting with the Regional Admissions Representative at Bocconi University, Ms. Elisa Raveglia. Ms. Raveglia highlighted the diversity on campus, the access to internships and the student exchange opportunities with partner universities while also sharing helpful information about the wide range of undergraduate programmes offered to international students, including the newly added Bachelor in Global Law. The students also found out about the application timeline and requirements, the elements of evaluation, the scholarship process as well as tips about preparing a strong application.

NYU Essay Workshop and Harvard University Talks

Lower Sixth students planning to apply to US universities attended an Essay Writing Workshop hosted by the Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at New York University, Ms Lisa Mortini. They also benefited from a virtual lunchtime meeting with the Associate Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Recruitment at Harvard University. Ms De Luca explained the liberal arts and sciences philosophy as well as the vast range of learning and research opportunities offered to undergraduates both on and off campus. At the end of the academic year we were joined by Jessie Pitsillides (Class of 2021) who recently completed her first year of studies at Harvard University where she is focusing on Applied Maths and Economics and who spoke about the highlights of her freshman year.